goldenn gecko

[Boafan9876]

Jus picked up a golden gecko have him/her in a 10 gallon tank for now and using eco earth. Does anyone keep these or know about them that may have some helpful advise.

[Sapphyr]

Yea, I own one, looking to own another since I've got her in a 100 gallon tall enclosure I used to have my iguana in.

Firstly, your golden gecko will need high humidity. Meaning, you'll need a hydrometer(?) to tell you the tank's humidity and keep it around.. I'd say 75% - 80%+. All I know is, I mist mine all the time since it's more of a mesh enclosure. Fill up the bottle, set it on automatic, refill it about 5 - 8 times a day. Some people prefer a water dish with enough water to keep an air stone inside it to boost humidity. I've personally never had to do this since I have foggers, moss, living plants, and misters going to keep it humid. It's probably easier to keep humidity up in a tank, but I honestly don't recommend tanks.

Golden geckos are climbers. They love nothing more than to climb, and it's honestly a necessity that they have that space to climb. Mine stays about 3ft off the ground at any given time, except for feeding on crickets. Note on crickets, be sure to dust them with multi vitamins and calcium.

Golden geckos DO NOT like to be handled, and it's adviced that -you- DO NOT handle them. Their skin is very delicate, I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it has something to do with the oils in our hands. Granted, I've held mine maybe 3 times in my year of owning it, but I wear a glove, and they aren't afraid to bite and musk as much as they please(not all bite, though). Mine literally squirts musk on the rare occasions I do handle her. They absolutely detest it, so I'd advise completely avoiding it unless you're trying to check them for health related purposes. On a related note, I've heard some people do regularly handle theirs and get them a little tamed, but I still don't recommend it.

On a musking note, golden geckos will leave little gifts for you on the tank glass or, at times, decorations that you'll need to clean up. It's one of the more unpleasant sides of owning any pet.

A small dish of clean water can be placed in the enclosure, but don't fret if you don't see your gecko drinking that often. They may drink from the dish, and they may just lap up some water droplets from any decorations that have been misted.

Back to crickets and diet related things, crickets are good, but they should also have some fruit in their diet. Some people like feeding baby food, which is -ok-.. but I personally prefer something a bit more natural. I've always been skeptical about placing it on a dish and just leaving it there, but that's because mine, at least, is very reclusive and loves to hide all day under some leafy decorations up near the top, so I rarely see her. I'm sure she eats when I'm not looking, like usual, but just to make sure, I put a little on leaves or vines that I know she frequents to make sure she knows it's there. Yes, this makes clean up a little bit more time consuming since it can attract unwanted pests(flies) or rot, but I just want to make sure she's getting everything. So, what I do is completely optional, the fruit on vines thing, but at the least, place it on a little dish and leave it for maybe.. 3 or 5 hours and take it back out. I'd say longer, but fruit tends to quickly go bad after too long. Also, for the crickets bit, if you don't know what size to buy, don't buy a cricket larger than the width of your gecko's head. Additionally, wax worms and meal worms can also be fed to them.

Temperatures should be around 80 - 90F day time, 75 - 85F night time. I use UVB/UVA bulbs for all my reptiles, so I don't specify by breed, meaning, I don't know specifically which, if it's not both, that golden geckos need. A note you'll always see for pretty much any reptile, never use a heat rock. Some people say only if you can control the temperature it's at, but I personally just stay away. A reptile can easily sit on it for hours and cause burns, sometimes even severe.

If you're looking to get additional goldens, never house two males together. They'll fight one another. Also, if you're getting two, each one needs a hidey spot to relax in, big enough for them to stretch out, and you'll also need to upgrade to a 20g if you can't get a tall enclosure.

At any rate, I'm not saying they're expensive, 'cause they're not, I just prefer a tall enclosure for them instead of the typical #g long aquarium. They do make tall tanks, so it doesn't have to be what I've got, if you're looking to give your golden some climbing space. It's just, I had an expensive 100g set up, and it was readily available when I laid my sights on a golden.

Lastly, as far as I know, for all the handling issues I've experienced and have heard of from other owners and sellers, they're more of a 'for looks' pet than they are a companion, like more handleable lizards, such as Leos, Bearded Dragons, etc. Not all goldens are biters, about 1/3 will bite. I've heard larger ones tend to be more finicky and nippy than smaller ones.